Tennis: Becker set for Stich showdown

Two former Wimbledon champions staging domestic summit meeting

AS far as the Germans are concerned, the match of the year has come to court early: Boris Becker versus Michael Stich goes ahead in the quarter-finals of the dollars 2.25m ( pounds 1.5m) Eurocard Open here tonight.

The rivals last met at Wimbledon, Becker winning in five sets in the quarter-finals last summer to help make amends for a straight-sets

defeat in the 1991 final. The victory put Becker ahead 4-3 in the head-to- head series.

But that is history. Stich has since established himself as Germany's top player, and Becker, ranked No 14 in the world, is in the process of reinventing himself as a competitor after taking a break to become a husband and father.

There was little cause for the nation's tennis followers to hold their breath yesterday for fear there would be a hitch in the script. Stich swept past Andrei Cherkasov, 6-2, 6-1, and Becker overcame a few worrying moments against another Russian, Alexander Volkov, winning 7-5, 7-5.

Becker, who had beaten Volkov in their eight previous matches, trailed 3-0 in the second set but asserted himself before the Russian could push him into a third set, as happened on the last three occasions they had played on carpet courts.

While Becker was playing, an intriguing contest was taking place behind the scenes; in the kitchen, in fact. Stich and a German journalist were sorting out in private a row which had flared during the defending champion's post-match press conference.

Stich brought with him a Munich newspaper containing a story to which he he strongly objected under the headline: Secret Pact - Stich and Tiriac against Becker.

Ion Tiriac, the promoter of the Eurocard Open, was Becker's manager until the player terminated their contract last year. The article suggested that he and Stich had formed an alliance with the German Tennis Federation which would conspire against Becker, who refused to play in the Davis Cup last year.

'It's a stinking lie,' Stich said. 'What you have written is rubbish. You're just trying to put something between Becker and me.' The rest of the journalists were taken aback, but only slightly. The interview room here has become a frequent battleground in the Becker-Stich wars. The tournament last year was punctuated by the sounds of the two players and Niki Pilic, the German Davis Cup captain, stating their various cases.

Such goings-on are not detrimental to the box office, though there was no hint of needle when Stich was asked his views on the prospect of playing Becker. 'I think it will be a good match,' he said. 'We haven't played each other for a long time in Germany, and we are both playing well.'

Had he been surprised by Becker's triumph in Milan last week? 'It was a very good effort. Everybody expected him to be physically strong after such a long break, but he did well to win some close matches.'

While the top quarter of the draw has commanded most of the attention, some of the visiting players have been doing very nicely in their own quiet way.

'There are no indoor courts in Spain,' Sergi Bruguera said. 'I just play indoors at the tournaments.' As luck would have it, the carpet here is of a reddish hue, sufficient to remind Bruguera of the clay courts of home, and also of Roland Garros, where he won the French Open last June.

The fact appeared to escape his notice for the first 18 minutes of his match yesterday against Yevgeny Kafelnikov, by which time the eager young Russian had repeatedly rifled the ball past Bruguera to take the opening set, 6-1.

Much to the crowd's disappointment - everybody is keen to see fresh talent blossom - Kafelnikov was unable to sustain his attack, and Bruguera wore down his opponent's confidence to turn the match on its head, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.

In the quarter-finals, the Spaniard will meet Arnaud Boetsch, of France, who guaranteed himself dollars 60,000 by defeating Karel Novacek in the second round, 6-3, 7-6, having previously accounted for Petr Korda, the eighth seed. Korda defeated Bruguera in the semi-finals in Milan last week. Each of those who survive to the last four tomorrow will leave Stuttgart at least dollars 110,000 richer.

----------------------------------------------------------------- BECKER v STICH HEAD-TO-HEAD ----------------------------------------------------------------- (Becker leads 4-3) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Year Venue Surface Rd Winner Score 1990 Paris carpet QF Becker 6-1 6-2 1991 Wimbledon grass F Stich 6-4 7-6 6-4 1991 ATP Tour finals carpet 3rd Becker 7-6 6-3 1992 Hamburg clay SF Stich 6-1 6-1 1993 Milan carpet QF Becker 6-2 6-2 1993 Queen's grass QF Stich 6-4 7-6 1993 Wimbledon grass QF Becker 7-5 6-7 6-7 6-2 6-4 -----------------------------------------------------------------

(Photograph omitted)